


Peaceful, Easy Feeling

by SaraJaye



Category: Fire Emblem: Soen no Kiseki/Akatsuki no Megami | Fire Emblem Path of Radiance/Radiant Dawn
Genre: Devotion, Exhaustion, Introspection, M/M, Post-Game(s), Sleepy Cuddles, Travel, let Ike rest, past trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 02:51:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19286608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaraJaye/pseuds/SaraJaye
Summary: Ike deserves to rest, more than anyone possibly could in Soren's opinion.





	Peaceful, Easy Feeling

**Author's Note:**

> Any / Any – Sleepy cuddling.

If there was anyone who deserved to rest, it was Ike. Leading a mercenary company, fighting in two wars, facing down a _goddess,_ unlocking more past trauma than anyone should ever have to deal with, a lesser man would have collapsed under the strain long ago. Yet Ike kept moving forward, refusing to back down even for a moment, even when his eye wouldn't stop twitching and he looked as beaten down as the rest of them.

Right now, you'd never know he was that same man. Lying peacefully on a sleeping pallet, arms around Soren, smiling under the clear night sky as the crickets chirped around them. Cozy, relaxed, and hundreds of miles away from worshipping crowds and fans demanding to speak with "the Radiant Hero."

Of course his leaving had caused a stir among the people. Soren could still hear the whispers of the disgruntled commoners. _How could he? Doesn't he care about his family? Some hero, ditching the world he saved, probably looking for another fight worthy of his manly prowess._ But for once, Soren didn't find it worth his time to get angry. They didn't know Ike the way he did, the way their family and friends did. If they wanted to believe he was some musclebound he-man hero with a sword for a brain, that was their choice.

The real Ike was a man who deserved to rest after all he'd been through, and when he left, it was Soren he chose to come with him. Soren who saw beyond the muscles and the big sword and the misconceptions to the vulnerable human being Ike was.

_If he were anything like those idiots claim he is, I never would have trusted him, much less fallen in love with him._

It was just barely nightfall and Ike had fallen asleep not long after dinner. The distance between towns grew as they went along, and tonight was a good night to camp out rather than walk another few miles to an inn. Ike always slept well outdoors, anyway, and Soren found the chirp of crickets and the glow of the stars soothing.

Usually, Soren didn't fall asleep until much later; he'd lie down beside Ike, but would stay up and read or watch the stars until he felt it was time to join Ike in slumber. Tonight, though, he was too tired to do anything but lie half-awake and watch him sleep.

He looked peaceful. Really and truly peaceful, something he probably hadn't had since Greil died...no, scratch that, probably since the day of the massacre. Sephiran had sealed that memory away, Ike had never properly dealt with it. _Any peaceful, easy feelings he might have had back then...were they even real?_

Ike deserved this, so much more than anyone could ever know.

Nestled beneath Ike's arm, Ike's chin resting atop his head, Soren shifted to lean against his chest. His heartbeat was strong and steady, and he had a feeling there wouldn't be any nightmares tonight for either of them. Ike murmured contentedly in his sleep, arms tightening around him, and Soren smiled.

"Goodnight, Ike."

He let his eyes fall shut, letting the sound of the crickets and Ike's heartbeat lull him to sleep.


End file.
